Invisible

 

Bibliography

Gonzalez, C. D., & Epstein, G. (2023). Invisible. Wonderbook format. Playaway Products.

ISBN:

9798822675087

Plot Summary

Five completely different students are forced to complete school community service hours. Jorge: the brain, Sara: the loner, Dayara: the tough kid, Nico: the rich kid and Miguel: the athlete, they seem to have nothing in common but as the story continues they find that they do. Each one of them are having their own personal issues but find a way to come together to help a person in greater need.

Critical Analysis

In the story Invisible it tells a story of 5 spanish speaking students who all are from different countries. Being familiar with spanish would be knowledge that would need to be understood before reading this book. They all come from different countries that speak different dialects.I loved that this was represented in this book. I have had several years of classes that spoke different dialects of different languages and for some people that is hard to understand “when it all sounds the same.” A large majority of this book is in both English and Spanish which allows the reader to get an authentic representation. In the book these 5 needed to have something in common to bring them all together, which was a mom and daughter who were homeless. Seeing this brought out their struggles and they built their own community through friendship. They went from being invisible to being seen by the community. The author in a way wants the reader to know that if they feel invisible that they can become visible by being the change in the world. 

This story is written in a graphic novel format so that the reader is able to see the different personalities of each student. It shows the lives of each of the students both at home and at school. The reader can get an authentic feel of who the student is.

Overall, it was a fantastic read, it gives the Breakfast Club vibe. I loved comparing the two to see which characters would match. This book would be a great addition to any library for middle school and up.

Review Excerpts

A story that shouldn't be missed." -- Entertainment Weekly

"This is a must-read." -- Book Riot

★ "Illuminating and engaging. With a sweet twist at the end, multifaceted characters,

and moments of genuine comedy, this is pitch-perfect for anyone who loves Raina Telgemeier

or Varian Johnson." -- Booklist, starred review

★ "Truly unique... An entertaining and spirited reading experience." -

- School Library Journal, starred review

★ "Invisible celebrates individuality and community while

transcending language barriers." -- Bookpage, starred review

Awards and Recognitions

• A USA TODAY Bestseller

• An instant INDIE BESTSELLER

• INDIE Next List Recommended Book

• School Library Journal Best Book of 2022

• 2022 ALA Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table Top Ten Graphic Novel

• 2023 Notable Book for a Global Society Award

• 2022 Cybills Award Winner

• 2022 Nerdy Book Club Award

• 2023-24 Texas Bluebonnet List

• 2022 Virginia Library Association Graphic Novel Diversity Award Winner

• Amazon #1 New Release

• A Barnes & Noble Most Anticipated Read for August 2022

• Target Book Club Pick - February 2023

Connections

• For fun have students talk about how they say things different in English compared to their friends. For example, my family does not say playground, they say jungle gym.

• Look up other countries that have different dialects and compare it to the US.

• Have students write about how we could help support students who are new to school and the country.